Description

The Gerber Instant folder is a tactically inspired knife with a spring assisted blade. The thumb plunge conveniently unlocks the modified spear point blade for safe closure. The textured G-10 handle is shaped to provide an ideal ultra-light, ultra-tactile interface. The Instant from Gerber comes with a tip-down pocket clip for everyday carry.

Reviews

Customer Reviews

as my first real brand name knife, i didnt really know what to look for at the time, so at the time i thought it was the best thing since yoga pants. however, through the years i've realized it's not perfect but it is pretty great. things i like about it are, the blade shape is aggressive and cool, but is still good for general edc tasks. the clip offers tip down, which is still my preference. the handle is comfortable and grippy, and the spring is strong and honestly not that hard to open if you have a pair.

things i dont like are that the steel is pretty soft and doesnt hold an edge for very long, the rise on the clip is really shallow and comes way too tight from the factory. a little bending fixed it but i dont think i should have to do that to a brand new knife.

and things that may bother you are its tip down only, and it only comes serrated. neither of those things bother me even now because i still like tip down because i cut a bunch of cardboard at work with the serrations and i still prefer tip down carry.

point being, it really is a good knife. if you dont absolutely hate tip down carry give it a shot. its not very expensive and its honestly a great edc knife

Better than you give it credit for

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Robert P.

06-05-2015

This was my first EDC knife. I resisted going with the typical Benchmades or Spydercos that came highly recommended and went with the outsider option; the Gerber Instant.

The steel is decent (not a world beater by any stretch), but also gives you plenty of opportunity to work on your stropping and sharpening skills. Blade shape is very reminiscent of Osbourne designs like the Benchmade Contego, Rift and (gasp) Benchmade 940! Partial serrations are what they are. Blade is hollow ground and seemed to perform about as well as 7Cr could.

Ergonomics are good fine; jimping sucks, non-re-position-able, tip down pocket clip creates a bit of a hot spot, but buries VERY deep. G10 scales won't rip your pants up. The handle is big enough to get a full four finger grip and it pretty comfortable forwards and reserve grip. No finger choil so don't go stabbing with it (why would you?) Button lock is intuitive and being the only bit of silver on the knife, people who aren't familiar with your knife know how to close it. The torsion bar prevents the falling blade from chopping off your finger when you release the lock.

Speaking of the assisted opening mechanism, my first example's torsion bar broke within a month of purchasing it. Now a year-ish later and the button lock won't hold the blade open after even a half-hearted whack. Off to Gerber again for replacement.

Absolutely the #1 positive about this knife is that it gave me a baseline with which to compare other, "better," more expensive and feature rich knives to and see what they get right and where they could still be improved upon. Would you be better off with a Tenacious? Yes. But you might not know why.